By Dr. Mitch Shiller
President, Agence Ometz

It is difficult to predict how the economic crisis that began last summer will play out over the coming year. Some financial experts are distressingly pessimistic in their analyses; others are relatively optimistic. If I may employ a medical analogy, it is a question of whether the patient has pneumonia or a very bad cold. In either event, there is no doubting that the economy is in poor health and is going to require considerable attention and care in order to recover as quickly as possible.

At Agence Ometz, which offers a range of human services in the fields of employment, immigration and social services, we expect to see problems on several fronts. Jobs are being lost. This means people will be turning to us in an effort to find new jobs, as well as for upgrading their skills to enhance their employability. We are concerned that government may off-load some social service spending and that this will increase the pressure on agencies like ours to pick up the slack, notwithstanding our own limited resources.

We are concerned about the fate of the lower working and middle classes: families that sustain a decent lifestyle, perhaps including Jewish day school tuition, but are not in a position to absorb additional financial pressures. Any change in their employment situation would represent a major hardship and push them from being self-sufficient to needing community assistance.

Another consideration is that Quebec may do relatively better than other provinces. Our economy is not resource dependent, nor has its wealth grown on a real estate boom, nor is it excessively exposed to the auto industry. This may generate a different consequence: an influx of immigrants who are shopping for a stable destination.

On a positive note, Agence Ometz was set up precisely in order to give us the flexibility to deal with the very situation we are witnessing. No longer do we have three social service agencies competing for finite resources. Today, we are one social service hub, working in concert, that is able to apportion our resources wherever they are needed.

If, as is currently the case, we see greater demand on employment services, we can focus attention there. If, as we might anticipate, the poorer members of our community eventually begin to suffer more, we will be able to adapt to the changed circumstances.

Under our umbrella, all social service providers can work together to uphold the safety net for our Jewish community. Our mission is, and will remain, to empower the most vulnerable and to give them the support they need to improve their lives no matter the unexpected turns our economy takes.

---

 

In 2008-2009, the total allocation from Federation CJA to Agence Ometz exceeded $5.64 million.

---

Federation CJA is a registered charitable organization pursuant to the Canadian Income Tax Act - Registration number: 106702251RR0001.
Federation CJA is a 501c(3) non-profit Community Organization - 98-018 3709.
All donations to Federation CJA are tax-deductible in full.